Monomad #2 - Abstract Wednesday

There's something about this photo that keeps bringing me back to it. I can't quite put my finger on it but I do know that I really like it. I don't do a lot of b/w photography, or abstract, or architectural stuff and this ticks all of those boxes...

I also came back from this trip a little disappointed at first. I'd gone looking for some good landscape shots for some paintings and felt that it wasn't that successful. Months later, when I was sorting through the images again, I found this one (which I'd forgotten I had taken at the time)...

The pier at Southport, UK (under renovation)

It just goes to show that sometimes doing something outside of the norm can make a refreshing change and lead to some good surprises. In fact, it's one of the things I recommend trying if you feel stuck in a rut, or in a creative dead-end...do something you wouldn't normally try.

Firstly, it gives your brain something different to concentrate on (and gives it a break from the stuff you're stuck with), but also, it can lead you down some interesting avenues.

Creativity is all about making novel connections between different topics/ideas (stuff people wouldn't normally associate together). The more new experiences you open yourself up to, the more chance of finding, and making, those connections.

Creativity is also about giving yourself room to make mistakes and fail. That's what stops a lot of people from trying new things - they like the safety of their normal comfort zones too much (I do too, by the way - and it often takes a rut to force me into something new). But, step away from your comfort zone for a bit, and you might find you like what you discover...

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes,
Art is knowing which ones to keep." - Scott Adams